Chasing The Sun

Chapter 12 - Californian Wildlife

Rosidora watched them pick the perfect ride. That particular quad was the safest of all available machines in the barn. It was also one that she could control from a distance. The GPS was not just a terrific help for whoever rode the quad, it was also a way for Rosidora to know at all times where the pair would be on the property. She gave them a few hours of freedom –after all they were here to enjoy a few days of complete retreat- and then headed towards her own stable in a private section of the ranch, and prepared her own ride, a sublime 6 year old Arabian horse named “Jakarta”.

Though she enjoyed riding the natural way, Rosidora had mounted a few light saddles on Jakarta so she could bring a few supplies in case the ride took longer than expected. Before placing it back in the front pouch, she took one last look at the handheld device and nodded silently. She knew precisely where Tom and Amada had elected to settle for lunch. Most landmarks on the property were emitting silent signals via a set of small chips using solar power. That century old oak tree was in the dead center of the 1,000 acre lot, and the green light showing on her smart phone was flashing next to the orange light signaling the quad’s current location. Rosidora switched from one app to another and remotely killed the quad inner switch. She could now take her time and enjoy the journey towards her destination, the preys would not go anywhere.

                                                                                     ______

Tom was the first one to open his eyes. A little groggy at first from a deep powerful sleep, he quickly recovered all senses and smiled. Amada was pressed against him, lovingly interlaced in his arms, a smile engraved in her beautiful face. He slowly pushed away her long black hair, kissed her forehead and stroked her back for a few minutes, not wanting to break her sleep cycle. Tom counted 17 birds flying above them before Amada finally opened her eyes and held him even tighter.

“I keep waking up in second place.” She said jokingly. “Where’s my coffee?”

“I believe you left it on the coffee table back in the house.” Tom replied with a grin.

Amada sat up and looked around. The sun was now barely above the tree line. They must have slept a few hours, helped by the gentle sounds of nature. She reached for her phone on the edge of the cover and pressed the “home” button so it, too, could wake up. The screen was showing 7:12 and no reception at all. “Who cares?” she thought to herself. “Why would I want the phone to ring at this particular time anyway?”. Tom to her side, miles away from any sign of civilization, she was at peace and happy.

“We’d better get going soon if we don’t want to have to ride in the dark.” Tom almost whispered. “I trust my pilot skills but I can’t talk for all crossing trees around here.”

“You’re silly.” Amada said back, a spark of happiness showing in her eyes. “But you’re probably right, let’s clean up camp.”

Tom stood up and helped packing the food leftovers and folding the cover. They slowly walked uphill towards the quad, innocently holding hands. While Amada placed all the items back in the saddles, Tom reached for the ignition and turned the key.

Nothing! Tom tried again, holding the key to the right a bit longer in the “start” position. Still nothing. Not a sound, not even a clicking noise. Intrigued, Tom located the gas tank and opened it. The gauge showed plenty of gas left. He closed it and tried to start the quad again.

“What’s wrong, Tom?” Amada asked.

“I’m not sure” Tom replied. “It feels like there is no power at all.”

Tom moved back a few feet, looking for a kick start option, but found no such thing.

“Uh oh. I think we may have a problem, Amada.”